Shalom Catholic Community organized a most significant gathering, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, one of the largest cities in the world, in which 225 homeless persons had the opportunity to be welcomed and heard. During this initiative, a group of young people and missionaries provided moments of sharing, distributed breakfast and lunch meals and gave medical and personal care such as haircuts, manicures and pedicures. In addition, there were moments of prayer including adoration to the Blessed Sacrament and the Holy Mass at the end of the day.
“I left my comforts at home and gave myself to others, exchanged experiences, and asked people to share with me their life stories. It was a very rewarding experience”, said Flavienny Rafaela, who is a nurse and Shalom prayer group participant.
William is a young homeless person who participated in the initiative and testified: “We were treated very respectfully by beautiful people who welcomed us very well. And that’s what strengthens our journey, our gaze, and the way we look at people. “
The care of the poor is at the root of the Shalom Catholic Community. Since the first years of its foundation, the Community has done many evangelization initiatives for the poor. Currently, the Shalom Community has about 90 humanitarian and social promotion projects in various parts of the world. These services include visits to prisons, hospitals, homeless shelters, and rehabilitation centers for drug addicts. We also perform missionary expeditions to the poorest places in Brazil and Africa such as Ilha de Marajó, Brazil and Cabo Verde e Madagascar in Africa.
